Years. How happened it you never communicated your Diftrefs, in all this time, to your Friends and Relations? She answered, He has been thus but a Fortnight. I am the most serious Man in the World to look at, and yet could not forfear laughing out. Why, Madam, in case of Infirmity, which proceeds only from Age, the Law gives, no Remedy. Sir, said she, I find you have no more Learning than Dr. Cafe; and I am told of a young Man, not five and twenty, just come from Oxford, to whom I will communicate this whole Matter, and doubt not but he will appear to have seven times more useful and fatisfactory Knowledge than you and all your boafted Family. Thus I have entirely loft my Client: But if this tedious Narrative preferves Paftorella from the intended Mar-To fave a riage with one twenty Years her Seniorfine Lady, I am contented to have my Learning decry'd, and my Predictions bound up with Poor Robin's Almanack.

Will's Coffee-houfe, May 25.

THIS Evening was acted The Recruiting Officer, in which Eftcourt's proper Senfe and Obfervation is what fupports the Play. There is not, in my humble Opinion, the Humour hit in Serjeant Kite; but it is admirably supplied by his Action. If I have Skill to judge, that Man is an excellent Actor; but the Croud of the Audience are fitter for Representations at May-Fair, than. a Theatre Royal. Yet that Fair is now broke, as well as the Theatre is breaking: But it is allowed ftill to fell Animals there. Therefore, if any Lady or Gentleman have Occafion for a tame Elephant, let them enquire of Mr. Pinkethman, who has one to dispose of at a reafonable Rate. The Downfal of May-Fair has quite funk the Price of this noble Creature as well as of many other Curiofities of Nature. A Tiger will fell almost as cheap as an Ox ; and I am credibly informed, a Man may purchase a Cat with three Legs, for very near the Value of one with four. I hear likewife, that there is a great folation among the Gentlemen and Ladies who were the Ornaments of the Town, and used to fhine in Plumes and Diadems; the Heroes being most of them preffed,

De

and

and the Queens beating Hemp. Mrs. Sarabrand, so famous for her ingenious Puppet-Shew, has fet up a Shop in the Exchange, where the fells her little Troop under the Term of Jointed Babbies. I could not but be folicitous to know of her, how fhe had disposed of that Rake-hell Punch, whofe lewd Life and Conversation had given fo much Scandal, and did not a little contribute to the Ruin of the Fair. She told me, with a Sigh that defpairing of ever reclaiming him, fhe would not offer to place him in a civil Family, but got him in a Poft upon a Stall in Wapping, where he may be feen from Sun-rifing to Sun-fetting, with a Glass in one Hand, and a Pipe in the other, as Centry to a Brandy-Shop. The great Revolutions of this Nature bring to my Mind the Diftreffes of the unfortunate Camilla, who has had the ill luck to break before her Voice, and to disappear at a Time when her Beauty was in the Height of its Bloom. This Lady enter'd fo thoroughly into the great Characters fhe acted, that when she had finished her Part she could not think of retrenching her Equipage, but would appear in her own Lodgings with the fame Magnificence that she did upon the Stage. This Greatnefs of Soul has reduced that unhappy Princess to an involuntary Retirement, where fhe now paffes her Time among the Woods and Forefts, thinking on the Crowns and Scepters fhe has loft, and often humming over in her Solitude,

I was born of Royal Race,

Yet muft wander in Disgrace, &c.

But for Fear of being over-heard, and her Quality known, she usually sings in Italian,

SINCE I have touched upon this Subject, I fhall communicate to my Reader Part of a Letter I have received from an ingenious Friend at Amfterdam, where

F z

there

there is a very noble Theatre; though the Manner of furnishing it with Actors is fomething peculiar to that Place, and gives us Occafion to admire both the Politenefs and Frugality of the People.

M

Y Friends have kept me here a Week longer than which was ordinary, to fee one of their Plays, performed laft Night with great Applaufe. The Actors are all of them Tradefmen; who after their Day's Work is over, earn about a Guilder a Night by perfonating Kings and Generals. The Hero of the Tragedy I faw was a Journeyman-Taylor, and his firft Minister of State a Coffee-man. The Empress made me think of Parthenope in the Rehearfal; for her Mother keeps an Alehouse in the Suburbs of Amfterdam. When the Tragedy was over, they entertained us with a fhort Farce, in which the Cobler did his Part to a Miracle; but upon Inquiry, I found he had really been working at his own Trade, and reprefenting on the Stage what he acted every Day in his Shop. The Profits of the Theatre maintain an Hofpital; for as here they do not think the Profeffion of an Actor the only Trade that a Man ought to exercife; fo they will not allow any body to grow rich in a Profeffion, that, in their Opinion, fo little conduces to the goad of the Commonwealth. If I am not miftaken, your Play-boufes in England have done the fame Thing; for, unless I am misinformed, the Hofpital at DulLidge was erected and endowed by Mr. Allen, a Player : And it is alfo faid, a famous She-Tragedian has fettled her Eftate, after her Death, for the Maintenance of decay.d Wits, who are to be taken in as soon as they grow whatever Time of their Life that shall happen.

dull at

LETTERS from the Hague, of the 31st Instant, N. S. fay, that the Articles preliminary to a general Peace were fettled, communicated to the States General, and all the Foreign Minifters refiding there, and tranfmitted to their respective Mafters on the 28th. Monfieur Torcy immediately returned to the Court of France, from whence he is expected again on the 4th of the next

Month,

Month, with those Articles ratified by that Court. The Hague is agreed upon for the Place of Treaty, and the 15th of the next Month, the Day on which it is to commence. The Terms whereon this Negotiation is founded, are not yet declared by publick Authority; but what is most generally received is as follows:

HER Majefty's Right and Title, and the Protestant Succeffion to thefe Dominions, is forthwith to be acknowledged. King Charles is to be owned the lawful Sovereign of Spain. The French King fhall not only recal his Troops out of that Kingdom, and deliver up to the Allies the Towns of Rofes, Fonterabia, and Pampelona; but in cafe the Duke of Anjou shall not retire out of the Spanish Dominions, he fhall be obliged to affift the Allies to force him from thence. A Ceffation of Arms is agreed upon for two Months from the first Day of the Treaty. The Port and Fortifications of Dunkirk are to be demolished within four Months; but the Town itself left in the Hands of the French. The Pretender is to be obliged to leave France. All Newfoundland is to be reftored to the English. As to the other Parts of America, the French are to reftore whatever they may have taken from the Englife, as the English, in like manner, are to give up what they may have taken from the French, before the Commencement of the Treaty. The Trade between Great Britain and France fhall be fettled upon the fame Foundation as in the Reign of King Charles the Second.

THE Dutch are to have for their Barriers, Newport, Berg, St. Vinox, Furnes, Ipres, Lifle, Tournay, Douay, Valenciennes, Conde, Maubeuge, Mons, Charleroy, Namur and Luxemburg; all which Places fhall be delivered up to the Allies before the End of June. The Trade between Holland and France shall be on the fame foot as in 1664. The Cities of Strasbourg, Brifac, and Alfatia fhall be restored to the Emperor and Empire; and the King of France, parfuant to the Treaty of Weftphalia in 1648, fhall only retain the Protection of ten Imperial Cities, viz. Colmar, Schleftat, Haguenau, Munfter, Turkeim, Keifember, Obrenheim, Rofheim, Weisemberg and Landau; Huninguen, Fort-Louis, Fort-Khiel, and NewBrifac, fhall be demolished, and all the Fortifications

from Bafil to Philipsburgh. The King of Pruffia fhall remain in the peaceable Poffeffion of Neufchatel. The Affair of Orange, as alfo the Pretenfions of his Pruffian Majesty in the French Compte, shall be determined at this general Negotiation of Peace. The Duke of Savoy fhall have a Reftitution made of all that has been taken from him by the French, and remain Maßler of Exilles, Cha mont, Fineftrelles, and the Valley of Pragelas.

N° 21.

Saturday, May 28. 1709.

White's Chocolate-house, May 26.

GENTLEMAN has writ to me out of the A Country a very civil Letter, and faid Things which I fupprefs with great Violence to my Vanity. There are many Terms in my Narratives which he complains want explaining; and has therefore defired, that, for the Benefit of my Country-Readers, I would let him know what I mean by a Gentleman, a Pretty Fellow, a Toaft, a Coquet, a Critick, a Wit, and all other Appellations of thofe now in the gayer World who are in Poffeffion of thefe feveral Characters; together with an Account of those who unfortunately pretend to them. I fhall begin with him we ufually call a Gentleman, or Man of Converfation.

IT is generally thought, That Warmth of Imagination, quick Relifh of Pleasure, and a Manner of becoming it, are the most effential Qualities for forming this fort of Man. But any one that is much in Company will obferve, That the Height of good Breeding is fhewn rather in never giving Offence, than in doing obliging Things. Thus he that never fhocks you,though he is feldom entertaining, is more likely to keep your Favour, than he who often entertains, and fometimes difpleafes you. The most neceffary Talent therefore in a Man of Converfation, which is what we ordinarily intend by a fine Gentleman, is a good Judgment. He that has this in Perfection,